How I rate things, generally based off of writing only:
* Art must be great or must not be distracting. If art is distracting for any reason, I may ding it a star depending on how much so.
* Plot must make sense. Plot must build upon it self with an A->B->C->D progression.
* Setups must have payoffs. Payoffs must have setups. If there are a large amount of these dangling, then I might deduct a star.
* Characters must be interesting and/or likeable and have their own personalities. If they are cliche shoujo stereotypes that don't deviate much, it is likely a star will be deducted.
* Background details - characters who are moody or reactive or impulsive must have a reasonable backstory explanation. If characters behave abnormally without background/explanation, a star will likely be deducted.
* Setting details. Characters should go to work or school. There should be side characters who have names and dialog that aren't involved directly in the main romance. Characters should have families, or reasons why their families are gone. Characters living alone should have some explanation for how their living expenses are covered.
* Common cliches/tropes, like sick-in-the-rain, forced drinking, getting a character drunk to move the plot along, etc. Over-reliance on these will get a 1-star deduction.
* Everyone's gay, all girls are harpies, stockholm-syndrome plots, gay men are predators, homophobes, purposeless (story-wise) rape, and other problematic cliches will get a 1 or more star deduction depending on the depth of offenses.
* Grounded in reality. BL-crazyworld insanity will break emersion, and will get a 1-star deduction if severe enough. Adult characters should behave like adults, people should have realistic worries about life, characters should consider their sexuality before dive-bombing into someone's ahole, no overreliance on too many unlikely chance encounters.
* Writing 101 violations - author should have basic writing competence and know how to frame scenes, perform scene transitions, set and maintain a tone, maintain consistent and aggressive pacing, grow characters, thread side characters in and out, string plots together coherently, and end a story in a satisfactory way, tying up all important lose ends.
* Engagement - story must be engaging from the beginning to the end (or near to the end) or I will deduct 1-star. Things that are slogs to get through, usually due to pacing issues and a lot of problems related to the above, will get multiple stars deducted.
* Writing always trumps art - I can put up with some of what people would consider really sloppy/bad art if the writing in the story is good. The writing is by far the most important element. But good art will help eliminate unnecessary dialog bubbles and verbal explanation, and solid/good character expressions really add to the emotional feel of a scene. These get bonus points.
* A-plot/B-plot structure. Stories should have multiple things going on in the characters' lives, not just a romance. Work/school/family drama at the least, or mystery, fantastical, sportsball, etc. Stories without a main non-romance A-plot must be really well written to get full points from me.
Where do I even begin? The first 25 chapters or so of this comic are the most boring, paint-by-numbers, "I've read this 3 other times in 3 other comics" sort of plot/premise with stereotypical leads that I almost gave up on it before the comic just completely jumps the shark.
But then at this point, we start getting some insight into the backstories of the characters, the introduction of a major side character with so much mystery surrounding him and his past relationships with the other characters, that the whole plot just breaks loose. The tension ratchets up to 11, the pace picks up and suddenly you're wondering who is what and if you misread/misinterpreted all of the previous chapters with backstory between the leads. You start to question if any of these guys can be called a reliable narrator or not, including Sodam.
Both of the love interests act like total aholes to the main character at various times, a lot of the lazy, paint-by-numbers aspect of the first 1/3 of the comic is suddenly put into a different light and you realize that there was a reason things happened that way. You go back and forth between hating/liking each love interest and at points hating both of them and then wondering if it wouldn't just be better for Sodam to just go it alone and let these two psychos burn themselves to the ground.
I would say if you can manage to get to the halfway point of the story and it hasn't pulled you in by then, you'll probably never like it, but it is also a lot to ask of a reader to get through nearly half of the story before it 'gets good'.
Anyway, I didn't particularly love this comic but it was interesting enough after a certain point that I definitely wouldn't call it bad. You can tell the author did a lot planning for this story because there are many things set up early on that you totally don't recognize as a setup until the end of the story. And honestly most gripes that a reader might have were addressed by the author at least somewhere (several were addressed inadequately IMO, but they were at least acknowledged and addressed). In the end I consider this a 3.5/5, which isn't a great rating, but I am still glad I read this because it certainly gave my brain a lot to think about by the end.
I totally agree on this. I would love to watch the main love interest to learn more about BDSM and maybe that twisted mind of his is a sign of being kind of a Dom or smth. It bothered him this much and we never learn to know how he actually copes with it at the end.
BTW, did we ever learn what his name is?
you encapsulated all my thoughts on this perfectly, even our rating is the same ong